Police officer held over ‘love inferno’

A POLICE officer has been arrested after he allegedly set his girlfriend’s apartment at the Nurses’ Flats at the Windhoek Central Hospital on fire yesterday.

The girlfriend was not at home at the time. The flat is on the seventh floor of the eight storey-building.The suspect, an Inspector with the Serious Crime Unit stationed in Windhoek, is being charged with arson and assault.The Inspector was arrested at the scene and is being held in custody.In an interview with The Namibian, Detective Chief Inspector Nelius Becker, the Commanding Officer of the Serious Crime Unit, described the incident as “very unfortunate and disappointing”.He added that Police would investigate the matter.Becker said the girlfriend reported to be at the heart of the incident had laid a complaint against the Inspector with the Police at the weekend and a charge of causing malicious injury to property had been filed.Becker said that matter was also still under investigation.After the weekend fiasco, the Inspector is claimed to have returned to his girlfriend’s flat yesterday morning when it is alleged that he vowed to kill both the woman and himself.When his girlfriend did not return, the Inspector allegedly set the place on fire in the afternoon.Windhoek Central Hospital senior medical superintendent, Dr Jack Bernard Vries confirmed that nobody had been hurt.He said that the Police officer had confessed to burning only his clothes.The suspect is expected to appear in court this week.The flat is on the seventh floor of the eight storey-building.The suspect, an Inspector with the Serious Crime Unit stationed in Windhoek, is being charged with arson and assault.The Inspector was arrested at the scene and is being held in custody.In an interview with The Namibian, Detective Chief Inspector Nelius Becker, the Commanding Officer of the Serious Crime Unit, described the incident as “very unfortunate and disappointing”.He added that Police would investigate the matter.Becker said the girlfriend reported to be at the heart of the incident had laid a complaint against the Inspector with the Police at the weekend and a charge of causing malicious injury to property had been filed.Becker said that matter was also still under investigation.After the weekend fiasco, the Inspector is claimed to have returned to his girlfriend’s flat yesterday morning when it is alleged that he vowed to kill both the woman and himself.When his girlfriend did not return, the Inspector allegedly set the place on fire in the afternoon.Windhoek Central Hospital senior medical superintendent, Dr Jack Bernard Vries confirmed that nobody had been hurt.He said that the Police officer had confessed to burning only his clothes.The suspect is expected to appear in court this week.